Triggerheart Exelica Enhanced FS
by Saint X
Summary: An AU Fanonical Expansion of the Triggerheart Exelica Enhanced Story. The adventures of our Triggerheart Sisters from the time they were sent to Earth, to the final defeat of the Vermith. Follow their lives as fighting machines, to normal humans.
1. Prologue

In a part of our Galaxy far far away...

Two starfleets were in a running battle, Red versus Blue. Each side had different looking ships and fighting units moving and shooting all over, trying to eliminate each other to gain the advantage. And as it drew on, we focus to the main body of the Blue Fleet, where at its center was its flagship. Inside, as with all the ships in its fleet, was a hive of activity.

"Dargess at 53 percent!"

"Renkon heading to port 5 degrees!"

"Enemy numbers increasing at Sector 4-2!"

"Amarinko is disabled!"

"Master 384 has been eliminated, no signs of escape!"

"3rd squadron is on course!"

Various operators in the Flagship's Command Center were calling out the various statuses of the battle area that they are in. And on the Commander's Chair, the Commander in question was half pleased and half annoyed.

"Any word from the Ardenne and the C'rnadenne?"

"They are still in Hyperspace. They'll arrive soon, estimated five minutes."

"Ugh, that is what I don't like about the C'rnadyne- it's too slow!" The Commander commented at the given status. "Not to mention that TH38 was lost during transport along with the entire 10th transport group. TH40 is also down and back at HQ for repairs."

"Commander, the Ardenne and C'rnadenne are starting to exit hyperspace!"

"Finally!" The Commander almost jumped from his seat at the news. "Tell them to sortie now or else we'll lose this battle!"

A couple of miles behind and starboard of the fleet, two hyperspace gates open miles apart. From them two ships appeared. One was rather small, probably a destroyer while the other was rather huge, or rather, a larger version of the first ship carrying another ship on its back. The piggybacked ship was unlike any of the ships that were in the blue fleet. It looked more like a land vehicle, with its rather squat build and dual-hulled features. In the carrying ship's Bridge, her Captain was readying himself for evolution, with his crew reading out the important details with such calm compared to the hecticness of the Flagship.

"Hyperspace exit successful, rendezvous with the Kaizon will be complete in five..."

"Combat evaluation complete, Allied forces at 55 percent and Enemy Forces are at 75 percent."

"C'rnadyne System Boot complete. Initial Powerup at 45 percent."

"Captain, we have a High Priority Link from the Kaizon. It's the Commander."

"Good." The Ship's Captain replied back "Patch them thru."

The image of the Commander filled up one screen of the bridge's main monitor.

"Captain Chiu, you are late." Were the sarcastic words of the Commander's greeting. "Where have you been?"

"We ran into some slight problems Commander." Was the equally sarcastic reply.

"Slight? I hope your actions will only have slight consequences."

"That I will assure Sir."

And meanwhile inside the hangar of the first ship, there was some, if not a lot of activity. A group of the ship's flight crew were surrounded and fixated at a central figure, a girl of about 16, wearing a green skintight suit similar to a one piece swimsuit. Attached to her was a sort of backpack or rather, a flight backpack due to it's inclusion of thrusters, armor and flight surfaces. Floating just above and behind her were a couple of sword-like objects- drones to be precise. At the moment she was adjusting her headpiece- a sort of metal headband with a halo-ish object on top.

"Okay..." spoke to the crew around her." At least it was not hard putting this on, thanks to you guys."

A couple of tired crew members simply laughed a bit before stepping back.

"Okay... Time to sortie."

As the surrounding crew stepped out to allow the armored girl some space to walk towards to ship's catapult, we turn to the catapult of the piggybacked ship, where two more girls, armed in a similar fashion were already ready. The younger of the two had a white suit, her pack attached to her hips, her headband looking like a pair of mouse ears and two dissimilar drones, one looking similar to the sword drones of the first while the other looked like a sort of metal acorn- well it looked that way. The older of the two had a violet suit, pack attached to her back and extending both ways above her head in two nacelles and in a swallow tail-ish panel that ended just above her lower thighs, her headband consisting of antenna-like projections above her head, and her almost similar looking drones- save for one being a bit bulkier- not to mention it had more white paint than the other.

"This should be enough." The violet fighter talked to her younger counterpart. "Are you ready there?"

"Yes I am sister."

"Good, are you ready over there Ange?"

"Ready to launch as soon as we get word Cru, Exie."

Back at the Blue Flagship...

"The enemy is now shifting their base towards the Ardenne and C'rnadenne."

"They are probably going to destroy the C'rnadyne quickly before they can launch. Order the Fleet to cover for them!"

And back at the Carrier...

"The Ver'mith fleet is now shifting towards us, just as predicted."

"Good. Send out all our fighters to give us some time to dash towards the fleet."

"Aye sir."

And so it was a race for each objective. The two detached ships of the Blue heading towards its main force while the Red were closing in from half of the sphere of the two ships. Fighters from both sides began to intercept each other, killing or being killed for the sake of their objectives. Defensive fire from all ships was filling the gaps, making it harder to fight in, as both sides struggled to reach the two ships.

But in a feat of command and piloting, the two detached ships of the Blue managed to weave in thru what could have been the densest firing field they have ever gotten into. The rest of the fleet surged on and were now entangled with the enemy.

"As if you really did that Captain." The Commander commented as the Flagship Kaizon and the C'rnadenne passed by each other.

"Yes I really did that Commander. And now allow me to do my job."

After gaining some distance from the fleet, the C'rnadenne and its companion the Ardenne turned around and now faced towards the battle zone, doors opening, revealing what was behind them, the three suited and armored girls, standing by for launch behind a translucent shield.

"Okay girls." Captain Chiu, the Captain of the C'rnadenne then spoke to the three. "We'll be a bit shorthanded at the moment since 40 and 50 are out for the count while the others are mopping up. I hope you do you best and finally be rid of this menace."

"Well, you can count on us." The Green-suited girl then replied. "I can get more than these two combined."

"Oh really Ange?" The violet-suited one then replied. "Want to bet on it?"

"You're on Cru!"

"Guys..." The white suited one then pleaded. "No Betting while fighting."

"Nonono. You have to join in too Exie." "Ange", the green-suited one replied back.

"Eeeeh?"

"Girls, Girls..." Captain Chiu interrupted. "Fight first, body count later."

"Roger that Sir!" All three quickly replied.

"C'rnadyne system active, initializing backup!" A systems officer then called out.

"C'rnadyne System online. Initializing Triggerheart Support." A disembodied female voice then rang out.

"System Acknowledged." "Ange" then replied back. "Backup Process Complete. Initializing Support Routine."

"Synchro Active, all systems in sync." "Cru" then replied. "All conditions are green."

"Field Barrier up." "Exie" then acknowledged. "Support Start-up complete."

"Standby for launch. Releasing all safeties." The systems officer then called. "Catapults armed and ready."

"Triggerheart Support has been started." The Disembodied voice came in again. "All Processes Normal. Thread loads Normal. System is A-OK!"

"Catapult Charged!"

"May the Divine be with you and may you return safely..." The captain then gave his words. "Triggerhearts Launch!"

"Roger that!" Ange then replied. "Triggerheart Angelion, Launching!"

Out of the Ardenne came Angelion.

"Okay... I'm going ahead Exie..." Cru then spoke. "Triggerheart Crueltear, Going!"

Out of the Piggybacked ship's port launch door came Crueltear.

"Wait for me!" Exie then followed. "Triggerheart Exelica... taking off!"

And finally out of the piggybacked ship's starboard launch door came Exelica.

Back at the Kaizon...

"Confirmed... TH 36, 55 and 60 have been launched." An operator relayed the news to the Commander.

"Switch Auto-fighter control now."

"Switching."

Outside, the Three "Triggerhearts" were approaching the area. They were flying normally, despite that they are actually flying in the harsh vacuum of space.

"I have control..." Angelion acknowledged the switch, making a number of the Blue Fleet's fighters approach and fly along with her. "Hehe... is the bet still on then guys?"

"As if I will lose to a Kouhai like you!" Crueltear then replied back. "I have control!"

"Come on guys!" Exelica tried to reason but she also acknowledged the switch. "I have control!"

And so for hours the fighting continued, intensifying at each moment, finally reaching a fever pitch.

"Enemy fleet now down at 40%!" An operator informed the Commander.

"Don't rejoice yet kid." The Commander replied back. "We were at a low before the Triggerhearts arrived- we need to make sure. We need to fire the C'rnadenne's RPD."

"The RPD?!" The operator and subsequently the whole of the Command Center were taken aback by the decision. "But isn't that..."

"Get me Chiu on the line now."

A few moments later...

"We can, but..."

"You need to uncouple the C'rnadyne so that it will not be drained as well- risking an overload." The commander replied to Captain's answer. "We know. And we'll we doing the protecting."

"Acknowledged Sir."

"Okay... All hands brace for defensive! Notify the Keel Gunners that the C'rnadyne will be sheltering beneath us. Notify the Fleet for impending RPD use!" The commander then called out the next orders, which were quickly passed to members of the Blue Fleet, the Triggerhearts included.

"Are they mad?!!" Angelion commented over the Triggerheart Communication Channel, which was exclusively connected to any Triggerheart in the area- primarily to Crueltear and Exelica at the moment. "That Re... Reaction... Reaction..."

"Reaction Point Discharger..." Exelica completed the mispronounced word.

"Yes that... That thing! They're going to use it here! You guys do know what it does right?"

"Yes we know!" the unworrying two replied back.

"We have to go back to the fleet. Hustle! Hustle! Hustle!"

"You don't have to tell us that Ange." Crueltear replied as she flew full speed, leaving the two "younger" ones behind.

"Hey! Wait for us!"

Back at the C'rnadenne.

"C'rnadyne detachment complete. Sheltering procedures have been initiated, moving into firing position." An operator informed the Captain of the completed and impending tasks.

"Reaction Point Discharger now charging... 5 percent." Another operator informed of the weapon's status. "10 Percent... 25..."

"Bring the ship to the front of the fleet. Target that..." Captain Chiu then ordered, pointing to the middle of the screen, which promptly zoomed into the middle of the Red Ver'mith Fleet, towards the biggest ship- the Flagship. I was a rather huge cube-shaped object surrounded by a thick semicircular structure, every foot bristling with weapons. "The Ver'mith Core."

"Roger that, targeting RPD at the Ver'mith Core."

The ship stops and at its tip, a point of energy convergence began to show. The rest of the Blue fleet began to hastily withdraw, while the Red Ver'mith fleet was still trying to pursue them, somewhat oblivious to the charging superweapon. It seemed to be the case, but nothing is what it seems in the battlefield. The rather strange action of the enemy piqued the interest of one of the operators on the Flagship Kaizon.

"Commander... The Ver'mith are not retreating." An operator reported what he was observing at this station.

The Commander quickly headed to the operator's side. After a few moments of looking at the screen and on the others, he agreed with the operator's observations.

"That rather unusual, they would usually start to run and jump away as soon as the RPD reaches..."

"85 Percent Sir." Another operator completed the line. "RPD is now at 87 percent... 88..."

"Right about now!" The Commander alarmed as the red dots indentifying the enemy began to converge some distance ahead of their Flagship.

Back at the charging C'rnadenne, they also noticed the tactic.

"They're going to sacrifice themselves to let the Core escape!" Captain Chiu alarmed. "Fire the RPD now!"

"Firing!"

And with the push of a button, the point of convergence at the nose of the ship was discharged towards the enemy, now a ball of unknown energy. For a few seconds it sped up towards the enemy fleet, passing other allied ships and our Triggerhearts.

"And there it goooooes!" Angelion could only yell as she and the others maxed their speed out.

As they were halfway between enemy and their fleet, the projected ball hits the massed group of Ver'mith. It was an awesome sight to see that even the girls stopped and looked back. The area of the enemy was enclosed in a sphere of light, gravity shockwaves shaking the entire area. Inside the sphere was a scene of total annihilation, explosions of various degrees, collisions... a state of total destruction. For a full five minutes it continued, until finally, the light died down and the shaking stopped, revealing an enemy fleet that was very much reduced, even the Core Flagship was severely damaged.

"Ver'mith fleet down at 3 percent!" The operator elatedly informed.

"Good. Tell the fleet to finish them off once and for all!" The commander ordered, still calm and collected. "If we do that we can finally say-"

His words were suddenly cut by a sudden intense shaking. The entire area was being rocked with gravity quakes, making standing personnel lose their footing.

"What the?!"

"Commander, this is the Observatory!" a voice came into the line. "We have a wormhole storm inbound!"

"Shit, not a storm!!" The commander swore and quickly ordered. "All ships full reverse! Full reverse! Drop your space anchors if you need to!"

The fleet quickly followed orders, the fighters quickly seeking the safety of the larger ships, who went full reverse and also dropped their "space anchors", 4 huge pods connected by material and energy tethers, serving to anchor the ship. Meanwhile our 3 girls were still trying to catch up with the rapidly retreating fleet- but being in the middle of it all was a rather, unpleasant location, as they will soon find out. A few moments after they began their mad dash, a small sliver of light opened behind them- it was infact a wormhole opening. It was soon followed by several more, mostly in the space between the Triggerhearts and the Ver'mith fleet, though a few more were also opening up in the space between the Triggerhearts and the Blue fleet.

Back at the Kaizon...

"Sir, the C'rnadyne is being pulled towards the storm!" The operator then alarmed.

"Great, just what we needed- an un-anchored ship in the middle of a wormhole storm." The commander commented as the main screen displayed the C'rnadyne, being slowly pulled towards the storm. "Chiu!"

"I'm on it... but the storm is intensifying every second and our systems are not faring any better! We might be ripped apart if we approach any closer! The C'rnadyne is just below the critical size for wormhole entry without a shield."

"Great, our shields, and basically the entire fleet is unshielded at the moment." The Commander only mumbled at his subordinate's reply. "We just have to risk it then... We are leaving the C'rnadyne be, at the mercy of time and space!"

Everyone who heard that was simply agape in horror. The C'rnadyne was the most important ship to all of them; it was worth sacrificing a whole fleet just to save it. But they were now being ordered to go against their sworn duty and letting it edge closer to its potential destruction.

"What are you people waiting for?!"

The people quickly resumed their business of simply trying to stay alive, though in their minds and hearts they prayed profusely to whatever deity they worship, asking for not their safety, but for the ship and the people still left at the mercy of the elements. And speaking of people.

"I can't take it anymore!" Angelion screamed as she and the other Triggerhearts were being sucked into the wormholes. "Why do I have to be a Triggerheart in this lifetime anyway?!! I could have been an Idol or a Star right now! I swear that if I get out of this I'll force my retirement to the military- even if we technically don't have one! Guys?"

She looked ahead and before her, the other two, Exelica and Crueltear were simply speeding along forwards, doing a zigzag path. Amazingly, the two, despite their movements, were actually crawling forward, unlike Angelion who was thrusting along in a straight path but still being pulled slowly.

"That's the sisters for you." She could only think as she aimed one of her sword drones towards the pair. "If only I can..."

She then fired a rope-like beam towards them, but as it neared, a rather huge chunk of debris passed behind the two and that was what the beam hit, attaching itself on it. The chunk quickly passed by Angelion and as a result, she was suddenly yanked and dragged along.

"Nooooooo! Onee-chiiiiiiiiin! Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelp!"

That scream was heard by the other two, making Crueltear look back.

"Ange!"

"Onee-chiiiiiiiiin!" were the fading cries of the Triggerheart as she was sucked into wormhole.

"Crueltear, Angelion, Exelica, can you hear us? Over." The communications line suddenly buzzed to life. "Can you hear us?!"

"Yes we can!" Crueltear could only reply as she looked ahead once again, catching up with her sister.

"We have lost Angelion on the scanners, what the hell happened?!"

"We lost her in the storm... we're trying to get out at the moment."

"We have bad news for you... the C'rn- is he-d your way!" The communicator replied, but the last words were kind of garbled.

"The what?!"

"Sister look!" Exelica yelled and pointed forward.

The two could only look in disbelief at the object that was heading their way."

"No way!"

"The C'rnadyne?!"

And in an instant, the ship passed them, breaking their path and sending them tumbling end over end, making them vulnerable to the pulling force of the wormholes. The ship quickly vanished while the two were struggling to get their bearings, all the while the communications line was buzzing.

"Crueltear, Exelica... please respond! Crueltear, Exelica... please respond! Crueltear, Exelica... please respond!"

Exelica was the more alert of the two as she quickly found the still tumbling sister and fired the same rope-like beam towards her, luckily hitting her. She quickly reeled her in and the two could only hug each other, as they too were sucked into the wormhole.

"Tell everyone..." Exelica's fading signal managed to broadcast. "We'll be okay..."

And with that, they too were gone. Seconds later, it was all over, the wormholes began to close one by one, and what remained in that space were the remnants of the Blue fleet. At the Kaizon and C'rnadenne, it was pure silence, only broken by the breaking voice of the operator who managed to muster enough courage.

"The C'rnadyne... and the Triggerhearts... are... are... gone."

Three Days Later...

The sounds of a large body of water began to filter into her hearing. A soft sensation was beginning to spread on her back. The gentle blowing of a cool breeze began to seep in, thanks to her skin's reception. Soon more sounds began to fill in, sounds of animals- birds chirping, insects buzzing, dogs barking and cats mewing. Then finally, people talking- in a language that she cannot understand. And with that she opened her eyes just a bit, since the bright light managed to flood the darkness that she was seeing.

"Where... Am... I?" The young Triggerheart named Exelica thought, as the image of a painted sky came and went with her consciousness.

* * *

_"What happened? Where is this place? What happened to the Ver'mith? Angelion, Crueltear, where are you guys?!"_

_Next on Triggerheart Exelica Enhanced FS: A World Away._

_"A chance encounter?"_


	2. A World Away

**A World Away**

"Ladies and Gentlemen of Earth... Greetings!"

The camera zooms out, revealing a very blue planet, decorated by masses of white clouds. We further zoom out to reveal a sort of structure floating in space, in orbit around the planet- one of many.

"Find day it is today in the International Space Station Alpha, as we orbit over the Pacific Ocean..."

The camera then zooms to a porthole, revealing the inside, a rather tight tubular corridor filled with various instruments, experiments and systems.

"Nice day to swim in all the countries surrounded and in it, especially in Hawaii..."

The camera finally stops at a trio of men, clad in the heavy white suits of EVA (extra-vehicular activity- basically your space suit), all of them holding microphones, taking to a camera that was floating in midair. Each of them were unique, one was black, with a bald head and with glasses, the second one was white, with a rather squarish head with a mustache and beard and the third one was brown, with rather narrow eyes.

"This is Randy Thornton broadcasting live with Sergei Yuchenko and Higushi Tomoyama." The bald guy spoke. "And to you all in the Americas, good day to you. Come on Sergei greet the people."

"This is Sergei Yuchenko, Greetings to Mother Russia and to all of Europe and Africa." The bearded man then spoke in his native language, then turned to the language of the first one as he faced the next person. "And you Doctor Tomoyama, you greet as well."

"People of Japan, good day to you." The third person in the group began to speak in his native language. "This is Dr. Tomoyama speaking from Alpha. I bring you the weather for the region at this moment. Overall the weather is..."

"What in the bloody hell is that?" The voice of the first person came in from the side. "Camera quick!"

Quickly the camera was jostled around towards a porthole, its images showing the fuzzy, unfocused outside. Moments later, the image was clarified. It was showing the boundary of the planet, and in the black space beside it, were three long streaks of red, one large and two small.

"Meteors..." The second person then commented.

"Mission Control, this is Alpha." The first person then began to speak. "We are visually tracking 3 unknown reentering objects right now; can you confirm that you have them tracked?"

On the ground, the Space Station's Mission Control Center was a hive of activity. Operators on their stations were busy monitoring the information that they were assigned to. And in the front of it was a rather huge collection of huge screens, each showing more data and information. On the floor, there was one person, among all the others, who was in charge- The Mission Commander.

"Copy that Alpha, we are tracking three objects at the moment." The Mission Commander Replied back. "It seems to be some debris, but one of them is rather large, about the size of a house, probably even larger. The other two I can't tell... we can't bring up a radar composite of the objects due to them reentering."

"Roger that Mission Control. Do we have an origin of where these came from?"

"Negative Alpha, it has been decades since we stopped tracking the debris field. Even if we did, we sent too much trash up there. What we can provide is a vector. Give us a few moments and we'll provide."

"Copy that Mission Control. By the looks of things, they are headed for Japan."

"We confirm your observation Alpha." Mission Commander replied. "Vector calculations show that they will land in the Sea of Japan. We'll be passing sea level warnings to those in the area."

"Roger that, we'll be giving advanced word as well."

And then the Camera's view was again shifted to the third person in the group.

"People of Japan, good day to you once again."

Just as Dr. Tomoyama again spoke, we quickly change our view towards the largest of the 3 falling meteors, which was infact the C'rnadyne, out of control and unable to recover. We find ourselves in a control room of sorts, its screens filled with data, as well as the large letters for "Planet Entry" displayed on top of each. And then, at one of the smaller screens, we see the following words, along with a half-filled bar below it.

"Communication With C.H.I.L.D.A. Forces Lost. Communication with Triggerheart Units Lost. Self-preservation in Progress."

"Just a reminder to the people living along the coastlines of the Sea of Japan. There will be meteors that will land in the area of the water and will cause some slight if not noticeable changes in sea level."

As the Doctor continued, we again shift our sights, this time to a rather large town along the coast named Takai (他界) in the country of Japan. We see along the seaside path a girl the same age as the one named Angelion, wearing a pure white ensemble of a shirt, shorts and a wide hat. She had long violet hair that was flowing until her ankles, and also had the most beautiful sets of green eyes ever seen. On one hand was a radio, which was tuned to the station where the Doctor was speaking at the moment and the other was on a frozen treat on a stick.

"I would like to repeat that there should be no need to panic, as these are just old debris from space. They will not land on any land or populated areas and is not radioactive. If you by some chance managed to get hit by these, feel free to report it to your nearest United Nations Office and we'll gladly-"

"I think that's enough Dr. Tomoyama." The first person's voice came in. "You warn them too Sergei."

As the second person's voice came out of the radio, the girl could only look up to the blue sky and sigh, taking licks off her treat.

"The sky is surely mysterious..." she could only say before something else took her attention.

It was the 3 falling objects- one of which was the C'rnadyne. People in the town literally stopped to take a look skywards, as the objects flew overhead towards the sea. The girl's eyes were fixed upon them as they fell towards the horizon, finally disappearing in a quick flash. about a minute later, the wind began to pick up and in an instant, it sped up to typhoon-speed, making her drop her radio so that she can keep her hat from flying- but it left as quickly as it arrived. Another minute passed and suddenly, a huge wall of ocean foam appeared before the smiling girl and it fell on her like rain, drenching her and anyone or anything on the path.

* * *

  
Fast forward to the current time. Inside the mind of the young triggerheart named Exelica, her processes were recovering her from the disaster that just happened to her.

"Initiating Recovery Mode..."

"C.H.I.L.D.A. Special Forces - Triggerhearts."

"Triggerheart TH60: Exelica Indentified... Begin Basic Diagnostics."

As her systems began to check her, she began to regain some semblance to normalcy- if you can call being dragged into a wormhole normal. She began to regain her awareness bit by bit, as her systems began recovering slowly. And then, her senses began to return, first was her hearing.

"Water? A lot of water..." was her only thought at that time. "A Sea?"

Later, more advanced systems began to recover.

"Basic Recovery Complete. Advanced System Diagnostics Completed."

"Searching for communications nodes... Found Communications Networks."

"Communications Networks Protocol not found... Searching Database... Protocol not found on 7/8."

"Activating found protocol 'Basic Radic'".

"Searching for Allied Forces Begun..."

As that was happening, her sense of touch was regained.

"Co-cold... wind? My back... it feels soft... and warm."

And as she began to fully recover, she became aware of her still dark world.

"I can hear strange sounds... animals... and also people... but their language, I can't understand."

And finally...

"Basic Recovery Complete."

She began to open her eyes. The image of a black sky filled with white stars came in after the initial blinding light. She almost fainted due to the sudden strain but she managed to hang on, eventually opening up to a rather surreal sight.

"Where... Am... I?"

She was in a room. Its ceiling was black and had white stars painted on it, looking like an artificial sky. She then heard barking to her left and slowly turned her head towards the sound, seeing an open window to a blue sky.

"So this is where the wind came from." She thought.

Finally she heard the chatter to her right and slowly turned to look at the source. What she saw next was unexpected and rather coincidental. There was another bed at the other side of the room and beside it was a chair, which was currently occupied by the same girl at the seaside path a few days ago, but this time in what seemed to be nursing attire. But Exelica was more focused on the person on the other bed- for it was...

"So you're awake now." came in the strange and unfamiliar words from the person she knew as Crueltear- now dressed in the same white clothing as she was, bandages on her head. "Oh... wait a minute..."

And in a split second, a sudden shock came over Exelica, as information quickly flooded her and left, leaving her with a newfound knowledge of languages. And as quickly as it came, Exelica quickly spoke her first words in the strange language.

"Onee-chan!"

It was quickly followed by her mouth being covered by her own hands, followed by a sudden heat on her face. Giggles quickly followed from the two able ones, especially Crueltear.

"Too moe..." was the first comment that came out of her sister's mouth. "Just too moe..."

"It seems that you are awake? Are you feeling anything weird?" The nurse then asked her.

Exelica shook her head in response. She then looked at the nurse as she headed towards the foot of her bed, where a set of drawers was placed. She opened a drawer and took out what seemed to be a white strip of paper. She then removed some sort of backing on it and stuck it on Exelica's forehead, the sticky yet cool pad providing some sort of relief. After a set time- since the nurse was looking at the clock, she quickly took a look at the pad.

"You're okay alright..." the nurse then said. "While I get something for you guys to eat, I'll call the doctor to check up on you guys."

"Yay Food!" Crueltear cheered as the nurse went out of the room, earning a rather stupefied face from her roommate.

"Uhmmm..."

"Eh? What is it?"

"Why are we here? What happened?" Exelica began to ask in their native language. "Where are we? Where is Angelion?"

"Calm down, Calm down..." Crueltear spoke with the tactness unlike what she showed a few moments ago. "You don't need to be panicky... and don't speak in that..."

"But, but, but, but..."

"Listen... what I know is..."

Suddenly, the door lock clicks, prompting them to hush as the door opened. In enters two people, both males one greatly older than the nurse and the other even older- suggesting an elder.

"Seems that you two are okay." The first elder spoke, wearing a long white gown with some stains of red. "Pardon my entrance- I has just finished removing splinters from a worker."

The two could only nod.

"I'll be checking up on you two later- to see if you are okay. In the meantime, I'll let the Mayor here talk to you."

The first elder quickly rushed out, leaving the two with the older elder. To them, he looked like a very important figure, with an aura to boot.

"Well without further ado, let me introduce myself..." He then spoke, adjusting his glasses. "I am Touru Sukiri (Sukiri Touru: 末切 冬流), mayor of the town of Takai. By the looks of things, you are not from around here."

The two can only nod.

"I'm sure that your memories are rather blurred for the moment, I can only say this. Take your time to rest and recover, no one will be able to know where you came from there. I'll ask my questions in due time."

And with that, the Mayor left, leaving the two somewhat stunned.

"What did he mean by that?" they could only ask, unwearyingly in their native language.

Outside...

"It seems like the little one was correct." The Mayor whispered upon closing the door.

"See?" the nurse commented as well. "Father never believed me that those two are aliens."

"Okay, okay... I believe in you Eimi." The gowned man sighed. "Now take care of them."

"Yes Doc-Papa!"

Moments later, the door opens again, revealing our nurse, named Eimi, bearing a tray laden with a couple of bowls, containing something that gave off steam and a smell that was pleasant to Crueltear and strange for Exelica. Eimi then gave a steaming bowl to Crueltear, who quickly took out a spoon from in and quickly dug into the bowl's contents with it and place in her mouth, closing it and doing a few movements before doing it all over again. Eimi then presented Exelica with her own bowl and spoon, making her wonder.

"Come on..." Eimi then assured. "It's not harmful, just plain peaches... well peach soup."

Reluctantly, she took the bowl, grabbed the spoon, scooped a bit of the strange liquid and slowly brought it to her lips. She simply froze for a few moments before quickly dipping the spoon in the bowl, taking more of the liquid and sipping it, gradually escalating to almost the same rhythm as her sister. She only paused to ask something.

"What is this?!!"

"Why, it's only food..." Eimi replied as her charges continue to consume their meals. "I guess my hunch is correct then?"

And with that, Exelica began to cough and pound her chest- she was choking.

"Ah! Ah! Ah! Water! Water!" was Eimi's quick words, rushing to the drawer and taking a glassful of the liquid to Exelica.

Exelica took a long sip from the glass and was relieved. For a while after, silence was in the room, even Crueltear who was happily eating even stopped.

"Hunch?" was the unified question of the two.

"Well..."

* * *

  
Two days ago...

Eimi was walking along the seaside path once more. The day before, three meteors passed overhead and landed in the sea off the coast. Some distance behind her was the Mayor, along with other people, all of them carrying trash bags and trash rods. All of them were part of a weekly volunteer group that cleans the seaside area of the town, keeping it clean for themselves and the people that visit the town.

"Don't stray too far Eimi!" The Mayor called out, not in the usual manner that people here usually address- indicating a deeper level of relationship.

"I'm not some kid anyone Grandpa..." was the quick reply, making all the other people except the Mayor chuckle.

"Hehehe, you are getting too old now Mayor." One of the people quickly remarked, making more chuckles and a few laughs.

"Shut it and get back to cleaning!" was the quick reply.

As the Mayor and the rest of the group picked their area clean of rubbish, Eimi walked a bit further, taking a leisurely stroll towards the beach, and picking up trash on the way. She then reached the beach and took a long look at the horizon, which was like a thin white line dividing sea and sky.

"The faraway sky is surely mysterious and alluring..." she began to speak in a poetic way. "But my days are always monotonous and boring..."

She was about to say another word when suddenly the mewing of a cat came in from her left. She quickly looked and there was a grayish-white cat mewing at her. She approached the cat and stroked its head, purring contently.

"Nice kitty..." She cooed the feline. "Good kitty. I wonder why you are here... looking for fish?"

And with that, the cat suddenly scurried off, running a good distance before stopping and mewing once again.

"Hey, come back!"

As she took a few steps forward, the cat began to scurry away again, prompting her to give full chase. She chased the cat a great deal, until they were at the far end of the beach. Eimi stopped to catch her breath, still looking for the cat, which she lost a moment before she took the breather.

"Oh come on..." She spoke between pants. "What do you want to show me..."

A loud mewing again interrupted her. She then looked forward the spotted the cat, standing beside...

"People... washed ashore!"

The cat was licking the faces of the two triggerhearts, both of them in the remains of their bodysuits, their armor and drones removed and missing.

* * *

  
"And so that was it." Eimi finished her recollection of the event. "And what does that have to do with my hunch?"

The sisters kept silent, anticipating the next set of words. But then, the appearance of the room became cartooned- along with the chibification of the people in it.

"Well I randomly guessed." was the sudden reply, earning facefaults from the two.

"What kind of a hunch is a random guess anyways?!!" Crueltear managed to ask.

"Well..." Eimi then continued, normalizing the scene from its comical state. "There were a lot of things, like your strange suits, language and your reaction to food- but then, we don't mind- I don't. I'm sure you've heard of this- 'The sky is far and mysterious. It is something that is there, but we can't have- a constant reminder of who and where we are...'"

Silence reigned a bit.

"I'm a bit different, am I? Those words... strange words for a person like me right?"

Crueltear shook her head.

"Well, we can't really judge someone... but you're you."

"I guess you're right." Eimi then stood up. "Are you guys still hungry? I'll get some more if you like to."

"No need, I'm okay." the elder triggerheart replied. "What about you Exelica?"

"I'll stop for now too. And thanks." the younger triggerheart replied and handed the bowl.

"Okay. Just call me if you need something okay?"

The two nodded, prompting Eimi to leave the room. They then looked at each other for a moment, and then a question was asked.

"What should we do then?"

Two days passed without incident, each checkup from the doctor was returning improvements, so much so that the doctor told them that they can probably stand up and walk in about a day or so- and they can be declared okay by the end of the week. It was Wednesday.

The two sisters were sitting on their beds, panels of light hovering before them, showing some info- namely pages filled with text and pictures. They were tossing small panes back and forth too as well.

"This one is nice..." Crueltear spoke as she tosses a pane to her sister. "Very funny- even if it's Earth humor."

Exelica took the pane and slid it into her panel, thus allowing the data in it to be viewed. It was a clip of two men, one dressed in smart business suit and the other in a plain shirt. The two were talking and at random intervals, the suited guy was hitting the shirted guy with a rather flimsy fan, laughter coming out as well.

"I don't get it..." Exelica commented.

"Well it's Manzai." Eimi's voice came in, making them look back at the door. "Well only we Japanese can understand it- and some others."

There she was, in normal clothing, carrying a laptop computer. She then walked towards the chair and sat, flipping open her device.

"Well, it's kind of old... and not just compared to you guys..."

And the sisters looked at each other and nodded. They then flicked a finger towards the human's laptop and a line of light jumped from their light panels to the cover. Then, the screen began to display various statuses, such as connection and upgrades. After the initial "scramble", her screen displayed completion.

"Eh, what is this for?" Eimi asked as she opened a program. "What the... it quickly opened..."

She then looked at the two smiling sisters- and she could not help but smile.

"Well you don't need to do this much... I mean I was about to buy a new one."

"Well, we thought that we should pay you back or something..."

"If you really want to pay me back, then you must learn how to be an earthling then."

"Learn... then you mean..."

"Let Teacher Eimi give you some basic things then."

And so, under the guidance of Eimi, the two triggerhearts began to learn the ways. A day after they began their tutorials with Eimi, a question arose.

"Names? What about them?"

"Well..." Exelica began to ask. "I was reading up on names... and if I remember correctly, your name was spoken in the wrong way... I think."

"Well that's easy to answer. I'm Japanese."

"Japanese?" Crueltear wondered at that.

"Well this is my house, in the city of Takai, a city in the country of Japan on this planet Earth." Eimi replied and opened a map at the screens of the sisters- showing where the city was on the global map. "Well we have unique way of saying and writing names. And that makes me wonder, if you're going to live here, the names 'Exelica' and 'Crueltear' are going to be looked as strange, even to a westerner- well not Exelica but... I guess I can look for some suggestions."

Eimi went beside Crueltear and sat on the bed. She then opened another browser window and began to think.

"Well for starters, your names are similar to a language here- English- that's a good starting point."

Crueltear could only nod.

"Let me see here... 'Cruel' and 'tear'..." Eimi began to think. "I know! Let's translate them into Japanese."

Eimi began to type the address of a popular dictionary site that caters to almost any language. She then followed up with the first of the two words that comprised the name "Crueltear".

"Let me see here... 'Cruel'. Here we go." Eimi then presented the results. "Well unless you are _truly_ cruel... then..."

Eimi could only watch and listen as Crueltear began to pronounce each 3-kana entry, as some entries for "cruel" are long.

"_Saiki, kourou, mugoi, hidoi..._" The older triggerheart carried on. "This is hard..."

"And what is she doing?" Eimi then thought, as she carried on, until...

"_Hakujou..._ this has a nice ring to it."

"Eh really?"

"Yes. But I think that this still carries the meaning of 'cruel'."

"You're right. People might see you differently. Well luckily, we can change the kanji into a version for a name... here look..."

"This Hakujou... (薄情) can be turned into this Hakujou (白丈), or this (白城), or just retain it. Well it's your choice..."

"I think should stick to the original- well it gives some sort of meaning, though it may not be appropriate."

"I don't know but I can't stop you on that. So try to remember that, it will be your family name."

"Family name?"

"Yes... just look at how my name is written." Eimi then typed her name. "Te-ra-su-ei-mi... (日照 影美). Terasu is my family name and Eimi is my given name."

"I see now." Exelica, who had been listening for most of the time, replied. "If we place sister's translated characters for 'cruel' at the front, if we turn it into our language or English, it will still stay the same..."

"I didn't notice that." Eimi replied. "Did you?"

"No... But that's a great observation, as expected from you." Crueltear then applauded.

"Ehehehehe... it was nothing."

"And I found it!"

"What did you find?" the two then asked the somewhat ecstatic Eimi.

"A proper first name for you... here."

"Ko-rui (紅涙)?" Crueltear then asked. "It means Feminine tears. Well I'm female... and it sounds cute too."

"Well then it's settled?"

Both sisters nodded approval.

"Okay... you are now Kourui Hakujou (薄情 紅涙). Do keep in mind how to speak and write it, okay?"

"Haiiii..."

"And... What about you Exelica?" Eimi then turned to the younger triggerheart. "Well, your name is good as it is, since it's a real western name. We just need a family..."

"I'll go with 'Martel'..."

And the room suddenly fell silent, as the scene became comical once again.

"Ha?" was Eimi's suddenly burst of exasperation. "Are you sure?"

"You really need to think about this you know."

"Well it sounds nice..."

The two could only fall silent afterwards. And thus, Kourui Hakujou or Kou as Exelica shortened it, and Exelica Martel were formally introduced to Eimi's mother Yumi- who until that time only knew them as patients.

"Nice to meet you two." Yumi greeted back. "And you two by chance are friends?"

"Sisters... step sisters..." Eimi corrected.

"Oh really, that's nice. If I remember, your father told me that you two will be staying here for a while- to pay up on the expenses."

"Yes, that's what he said." Kou replied. "I think we need to do our share here."

"That is correct. But then, we can't just use this ward, since there will be patients using this soon- we need to make space at the house. We can spare a guest room, but barely, since most of them are being used as storage while the storage shed is being rebuilt."

Yumi hummed some thoughts as she left the room, leaving the sisters and Eimi behind.

"I'm sure mom can work something out. She always does."

And by the end of the day...

"Here we go..." Yumi presented to a now standing Kou her room- well sort of. "I had to move some of the items that were stored here so that I can at least place a futon."

The elder triggerheart looked around the room. Half of it was full of old cabinets, boxes and some scrolls as well. On one end of the free space was a rolled-up futon and a cooling fan.

"Well, once the storage shed is rebuilt we can move these things out... so please bear with it okay?"

"Okay madam... and thanks."

And with those words, Yumi left to tend to other businesses. A few minutes later, Exelica joins her.

"Well, it's larger than our chambers at least." She then commented to her younger sister. "So, where will you sleep?"

"Eimi's room- compared to this, it's roomy."

"Well we can't help it, right?"

Exelica could simply nod.

"Without any means to communicate with our guys or even a trace of the enemy, we are indeed far away from anything we know for a long time. So, might as well get used to this life... this new life."

"Yes, a new life... a world away from ours..."

The two could only look at the slowly darkening sky, as stars began to shine one by one.

"Guys, dinner is ready!!!" Eimi's voice managed to break their moment of contemplation.

"I'm sure we can."

* * *

_  
"A new life, a world away... new experiences, new people."_

_Next on Triggerheart Exelica Enhanced FS: A Chance Encounter._

_"May I know your name?"_


End file.
